Rheostat face-plate with supplemental rheostat



(No Model.)

P. KRAEMER & M. KRUGER. RHEOSTAT PAGE PLATE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL RHEOSTAT.

192% 76.- M Wm M Patented May 21, 1895.

m: foams wwzns co, PHOTOL!THO,WASNV UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTQ 0 FRANKKRAEMER AND MAX KRIIGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RHEOSTAT FACE-PLATE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL RH'EOSTAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,585, dated May 21,1895.

Application filed September 19, 1894:. Serial No. 623,510. (No model.)

To .nZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK KRAEMER and MAX KRiiGER, subjects of theEmperor of Germany, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Face-Plates for Rheostats; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to a novel construclion in a rheostat, the objectbeing to provide a rheostat by which the resistance introduced into thecircuit can be nicely adjusted and graduated.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationof parts herein after fully described and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention, Figure 1 is aface view of a rheostat constructed in accordance with our invention,with parts broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 2 is asectional view of the same on the line of 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to said drawings, 1 indicates the face plate of therheostat provided with the binding posts 2 and 3, by which the rheostatis brought into the circuit. The binding post 2 is connected by means ofa conductor 4, with the first contact post a of a series of contactposts 0., b, c, d, e andfarranged in a circular line and suitably spacedand provided with interposed resistances 5 of any conven-- in connectionwith the contact posts serves to bring into the circuit the resistances5, but we have arranged devices whereby the amount of resistance of eachof these resistances is subdivided so that the resistance in the circuitcan be gradually increased until it reaches the resistance of the nextcontact post in the series, and this device we term an auxiliaryswitching device and will now proceed to describe the same.

Mounted upon the face plate is a ring or annulus 9 of conductingmaterial adjacent to which and preferablywithin the same is located aseries of contact buttons a, b, c, d, and e. Concentric with said ring 9is a revoluble gear-wheel 10 carrying a contact arm 11 constantlypressing upon said ring, and adapted to come in contact with the buttonsto to e, as said contact arm turns. By means of the conductors an, hb,cc, (1d, and ac, the contact posts a to e are connected with the contactbuttons a to e as shown. In said auxiliary switching device is a seriesof contact posts a b 0 (Z and 6 arranged with resistances 12 betweenthem and arranged in a circular manner. The first contact post 662, inthis series, is connected with the ring 9 by a resistance 13.

Pivoted upon the base plate, and concentric with the contact posts o toe is a switch lever let arranged to come into contact with each of saidcontact posts ri to c and provided at its outer end with a gear segment15 adapted to intermesh with the gear-wheel 10 of the auxiliaryswitching device. The said switch lever 14 carries a gear pinion 16 thatintermeshes with the gear segment 8 of the switch lever 6, and the saidgear segment 8 and contact post a can be electrically connected throughthe said switch lever 14 and pinion 16.

The parts being constructed and arranged as above described, theoperation is as follows: IVhen the parts stand in the position shown inFig. 1 the current will pass from the binding post- 2 through thecontact post a and switch lever 6 to the binding post 3, as will beobvious. Now when it is desired to bring a resistance into the circuit,the said switch lever is moved across the contact post a, until itleaves the same, and during this movement the gear segment 8 turns thepinion 16 and switch lever lat so that the gear segment 15, through theintermediacy of the gear-wheel 10, moves the contact arm 11 into contactwith the button to, thereby establishing a connection between saidbutton a, and the ring 9. \Vhen this connection is made the connectionbetween the switch lever 6 and contact post a is broken, and the switchlever 14 is in contact with the contact post a In this way it will beseen that the current is shunted so that it passes from the contact posta through the conductor ad to the button a, thence through the contactarm 11 to the ring 9 and through the resistance 13 to the contact post athence through the switching lever 14, pinion 16, gear segment 8 andconductor 7, to the binding post 3.

The further movement ofthe switch lever 6 and until it comes in contactwith the contact postl will, through the intermediacy of the gearingdescribed, move the switch lever 14 across and successivelyin contactwith the contact posts b c (1 and c thereby bringing in the additionalresistances 12, as willbe clearly seen. When this movement is completedthe switch lever 14 leaves the contact post 6 while the switch lever 6comes in contact with the contact post b and shunts the circuit throughcontact post a, the first resistance 5, contact post I), switch lever 6and through conductor 7 tozbinding post 3. The resistances 13 and 12-are equal to approximately five-sixths of the total resistance of one ofthe resistances 5, so it will be seen that in this way the resistancebrought into the circuit is gradually increased.

A further movement of the switch lever and until it leaves the contactpost I; will turn the switch lever 14 until its gear segment 15intermeshes with the gear-wheel l0 and moves the contact'armll to thenext button I), and brings the switch lever 14in contact with thecontact post a It will thus be seen that the circuit is again shunted sothat it passes through the-first resistance 5 and from the contactpostto the button I) to the ring 9 through resistance 13 to the contactpost a As the switch lever 6 is moved across the space'between contactposts 1) and c, it will be noted that the resistance heretoforeintroduced is maintained, while additional resistances are brought in asheretofore described. The operation continues in the manner above setforth until the entire resistance is brought in, or until the switchlever 6 reaches the contact post f, it being noted that the resistanceis very gradually increased.

It is manifest that the number of the resistances in both the main andauxiliary switching devices can be increased or diminished,

as well as the amount of resistance and the relation between the mainand auxiliary resistances, without departing from the spirit of ourinvention.

We claim as our invention- 1. In a rheostat, a main switching device,and an auxiliary switching device controlled thereby and adapted to beintermittently brought in circuit therewith, substantially as described.

2. In a rheostat, a main switching device, and an auxiliary devicecontrolled thereby and adapted to beintermittently brought into circuittherewith, the total amount of resistance in said auxiliary switchingdevice being approximately equal to the amount of resistance between twocontact posts of the main switching device, substantially. as described.

3. In a rheostat, a main switching device havinga series of contactposts, interposed resistances and a switch lever, anauxiliary switchingdevice having a corresponding series of contact buttons, conductorsbetween thecorresponding contact posts and buttons, a series of contactposts and interposed resistances in said auxiliary switching deviceadapted to be brought successivelyin circuit with said contact-buttons,said switch lever 1 controlling said auxiliary switching device andadapted to be intermittently in circuit with the contact posts thereof,substantially as described.

4. 1m a rheostat, a main switching device having a series of contactposts, interposed resistances, and a switch lever 6, an auxiliaryswitching device having a corresponding series of contact buttons,conductors between the corresponding contact posts and buttons, atcontact arm adapted to move over a ring or annulus and saidcontactbuttons, a series of contact posts and interposed resistances in saidauxiliary switching device in circuit with saidring or annulus, a switchlever l ladapted to be brought into contact with the contact posts ofthe auxiliary switching device and geared tosaid switch lever 6 and tosaid contact arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afifiix our signatures in presence'oftwowitnesses.

FRANK KRAEMER. MAX KRUGER. -Witnesses:

HARRY COBB KENNEDY, RUDOLPH W. Lo'rz.

